This invention relates in general to dough proofing apparatus for proofing the relatively tough, elastic dough, required in making bagels after a preforming operation, as in a dough divider apparatus and prior to a finished forming operation, as in a toroid forming apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a dough proofing apparatus which is so provided that it is easily and operably integratable with current bagel dough handling apparatus.
Various types of dough forming apparatus have been developed heretofore for forming dough into desired configurations prior to baking thereof. In particular, toroid forming apparatus have been developed for handling a relatively tough, elastic, tacky dough employed in making bagels as in the prior Meyer Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,182 and my U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,940, by way of example. In the toroid forming apparatus of these patents, a strip of dough is received at a dough receiving location and formed by forming sleeve assemblies which roll the dough strips about a stationary mandrel. Means are disclosed in each of these patents for preforming dough pieces into strip form which are more readily formable into the desired finished toroidal configuration by the associated toroid forming apparatus.
In the dough forming operations of these prior machines, the bagel dough is first preformed into strip configuration and then formed into toroidal configuration. This working of the dough can have a tendancy to produce a more dense, tough end product than is preferably desirable. It has been common practice in the past to proof, i.e., allow the dough to stand for a while while it expands, the dough toroids thus formed before baking in order to dissipate the effects of the working of the dough due to such forming operations. I have found that it would be desirable to provide for proofing of the dough between the preliminary forming operations and the toroid forming operations of the foregoing apparatus in order to minimize the aforementioned adverse effects of working of the dough during the various forming operations.